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Hello 3 Months Ago I Noticed When I Woke Up
Question: Hello
3 months ago I noticed when I woke up I would have heavy and achy legs especially in my calf muscles. About two weeks after that I noticed some faciculations/twitches in my calf muscles which I only notice while I'm sitting down. They are constantly there. It almost feels like worms crawling under my skin. I practice yoga and I noticed that I couldn't hold many positions for time without my arms and legs shaking and trembling.
I went to my GP and she requested blood work. My blood work came back with hyperthyroidism. I have <0.01 tsh levels and T3 levels of 7.7 and T4 of 20.. we also check my TSI levels and they seem to be normal.
I did a thyroid ultrasound and uptake exam. My ultrasound came back clear but my uptake showed that my thyroid absorbed 40 percent of the iodine injection. My endocrinologist diagnosed me with graves disease.
My endocrinologist prescribed in methimazole 5 mgs.
Ive been on this medication for 4 weeks but havent noticed any change in my symptoms. I still have constant twitching in my calves and now I have twitching in my arms. The twitching in my arms are not as frequent though. I can't go for long bike rides because my legs get heavy after a while and yoga is still a little bit difficult. I also still have aches in my legs if I walk a lot. I noticed my pelvis, knees, wrists and ankles are stiff. I also have pain in my upper buttocks especially if I still for a long time. My left foot was tingling today.
I'm kind of losing hope with this graves disease. Are these symptoms that I'm experiencing common? Or is there possibly another disease that I may have? I'm seeing my endocrinologist next to see if the medication is working and I have blood work to do to check my TSH, T4, and T3 levels again. SHould I be talking to her about seeing another specialist? She believes that all my symptoms are tied to my graves disease.
My T4 and T3 levels aren't too high so I don't understand how I can have such bad symptoms. Also is there any other blood work that I can ask her to do for me? Should I be checking for potassium and or does it have something to do with a electrolyte imbalance.
Any help would be appreciated. I'm a 33 year old male
Thanks
Mark
3 months ago I noticed when I woke up I would have heavy and achy legs especially in my calf muscles. About two weeks after that I noticed some faciculations/twitches in my calf muscles which I only notice while I'm sitting down. They are constantly there. It almost feels like worms crawling under my skin. I practice yoga and I noticed that I couldn't hold many positions for time without my arms and legs shaking and trembling.
I went to my GP and she requested blood work. My blood work came back with hyperthyroidism. I have <0.01 tsh levels and T3 levels of 7.7 and T4 of 20.. we also check my TSI levels and they seem to be normal.
I did a thyroid ultrasound and uptake exam. My ultrasound came back clear but my uptake showed that my thyroid absorbed 40 percent of the iodine injection. My endocrinologist diagnosed me with graves disease.
My endocrinologist prescribed in methimazole 5 mgs.
Ive been on this medication for 4 weeks but havent noticed any change in my symptoms. I still have constant twitching in my calves and now I have twitching in my arms. The twitching in my arms are not as frequent though. I can't go for long bike rides because my legs get heavy after a while and yoga is still a little bit difficult. I also still have aches in my legs if I walk a lot. I noticed my pelvis, knees, wrists and ankles are stiff. I also have pain in my upper buttocks especially if I still for a long time. My left foot was tingling today.
I'm kind of losing hope with this graves disease. Are these symptoms that I'm experiencing common? Or is there possibly another disease that I may have? I'm seeing my endocrinologist next to see if the medication is working and I have blood work to do to check my TSH, T4, and T3 levels again. SHould I be talking to her about seeing another specialist? She believes that all my symptoms are tied to my graves disease.
My T4 and T3 levels aren't too high so I don't understand how I can have such bad symptoms. Also is there any other blood work that I can ask her to do for me? Should I be checking for potassium and or does it have something to do with a electrolyte imbalance.
Any help would be appreciated. I'm a 33 year old male
Thanks
Mark
Brief Answer:
About muscle symptoms;
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for asking!
I have gone through your concern carefully.
The symptoms you described can be due to hyperthyroidism and usually needs 4-6 weeks to get improved if the dose of methimazole is the right one.
If hyperthyroidism persists, then there is no need to check for other pathologies.
But if the hormones are back to normal after 1-month treatment and the symptoms are not improved then you should check electrolytes and do electromyography to rule out other pathologies.
So, at first, check TSH, ft4, and ft3 and than decide for other exams.
Hope the information will help. Feel free to ask further.
Best wishes,
Dr.Mirjeta
About muscle symptoms;
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for asking!
I have gone through your concern carefully.
The symptoms you described can be due to hyperthyroidism and usually needs 4-6 weeks to get improved if the dose of methimazole is the right one.
If hyperthyroidism persists, then there is no need to check for other pathologies.
But if the hormones are back to normal after 1-month treatment and the symptoms are not improved then you should check electrolytes and do electromyography to rule out other pathologies.
So, at first, check TSH, ft4, and ft3 and than decide for other exams.
Hope the information will help. Feel free to ask further.
Best wishes,
Dr.Mirjeta
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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